A. Chekhov, "Anna on the neck": a short story

Among the late works of A. Chekhov is the story "Anna on the neck" published in 1895. The summary of the chapters allows the reader to see how the process of the moral fall of the heroine, captured by the new life, takes place.

Wedding and a trip to the monastery

Immediately after the wedding Modest Alekseevich and his young wife went to the monastery. But it was not that the newlyweds wanted to be alone as soon as possible, or they were very religious. A similar decision, the husband, a 52-year-old man who had ranks, showed eighteen-year-old Anna that for him the main thing in marriage is morality and religion.

Among the mourners were colleagues and relatives. The drunken father all baptized his daughter and whispered something in her ear, and two brother-students jerked him by the sleeve, urging him to calm down.

The story "Anna on the neck", the brief content of which you read, continues with the description of the trip. In the car Modest Alekseevich, short, very full, freshly shaven, began to tell his wife about a certain Kosorotov. He had a frivolous wife, Anna. She left her husband, and later returned. In this regard, his excellency, handing Kosorotov the Order of St. Anne, pronounced the phrase: "Now you have three Anne: one in the buttonhole, and two on the neck." Modest Alexeyevich expressed his conviction that when his turn comes to receive a reward, there will be no reason for such a statement.

And the young wife at this time was thinking about how she married for money. In fact, her husband was miserly, and she felt cheated. Besides, her family was left without a penny, and she could not help them. Then the girl remembered that after the death of her mother, her father began to drink, and she was constantly ashamed for both him and her poor life. Then Modest Alexeyevich turned up-not young, but with money.

The music interrupted the thoughts of the heroine of the story "Anna on the neck". The summary of the scene on the train station, where the train stopped, can be summarized as follows. The girl saw the walking gardeners, among whom was the owner of these places Artynov. She immediately wiped her tears and went out of the car, wanting to show her new clothes to her acquaintances. Soon Anna flirtatiously looked at Artynov, assuring herself that she would surely be happy.

Life in marriage

We returned home on the third day, and everything went as planned. Modest Alexeyevich went to the service, during dinner he taught his wife that he needed to be thrifty, then went to sleep. Anna did not go anywhere. She often cried, because she felt unhappy. From the table she got up hungry - she was afraid of Modest Aldekseevich - and went to her own. She dined there, and it seemed to her that the father and brothers condemned her marriage for the sake of money. So the days of the heroine of the story "Anna on the neck" passed.

Brief content can be supplemented by the fact that in the evenings Modest Alekseevich played with his colleagues, and the girl had to communicate with their wives, coarse and ugly. Sometimes he took Anna to the theater, certainly forcing her to bow to some noble lady and regretting money, even for a pear in the buffet. The heroine was tormented by the fact that now she had fewer means than before the wedding. A young wife was afraid to ask for money from her husband, and he himself was spent only on jewelry, because they could come in handy on a rainy day.

At the ball

Before Christmas, Modest Alexeyevich told Anna that she had to make a dress for the ball. From the mother the girl inherited a good taste, because in this case she relied only on herself. And when the husband saw his wife before the ball, he was stunned. Then he said that today she can make him happy. So the story "Anna on the neck" continues.

Summary - Chekhov, as usual, pays much attention to detail - the scene of the ball shows how the life of the heroine changed overnight. The girl, seeing herself in the mirror, felt pride and confidence. The whole evening she danced, forgetting about her husband. His excellency, fascinated by the beauty, introduced Anna to her husband, who organized charity trade in the noble assembly. The heroine, who settled in the hut, took money for tea, convinced that her smile gives people the same pleasure. By the end of the evening she already understood that she had been created for such a life: with dances, fun, admirers. And when a fairly drunk father came up, Anna even blushed, frightened that he could do something wrong.

Then, at the invitation of Artynova, the girl went to dinner, where there were not more than twenty people. I returned home in the morning, happy and tired.

New life

After the ball, everything changed for the heroine of the story "Anna on the neck". The summary of the finale is as follows.

The girl was awakened by Artynov's visit. Then came his excellency: he kissed the pen and thanked him for participating in the evening. Modest Alexeyevich was beside himself with happiness. Now he looked at his wife with an ingratiating glance, which he usually addressed to the strong and noble. And she felt only disdained contempt for him.

Chekhov ends the narration about the heroine by the fact that all life for her now has turned into a permanent holiday and a great waste of money. She rarely came to see her father, whose financial situation worsened, and he drank more than before. The boys were afraid to let him out alone into the street. And if he tried to call the daughter walking along the street, the sons pleadingly asked: "Do not."

This is the content of the story "Anna on the neck" (short).

The meaning of the name

In conclusion, we must add that the husband of the heroine still received the Order of St. Anne. And his excellency, congratulating the official, uttered the same words that he had once told Kosorotov. And Modest Alekseevich, wishing to smooth the situation and show his wit, replied that now it remains to wait for the appearance of little Vladimir, hinting at the next award.

This is how the author shows the degradation of the human soul in conditions of full power of money.